Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-16
TN TURKISH HARENS.
Mrs. Lew Wallace Opens the Doors Of
the Forbidden Rooms. Luxuries
of the Harem.
Shady Gardens where NIghtIHgaIes
Sing. and Rushing Waters fool the
Air-Bed- Pillows OF Silk
with rasasls of Gnld-rurkish Women and
osme'tcs-Ra'h R"oms cf Alsbss,er.
How Women of tho Rare m Live.
Copyrighted, 1857.

Copyrighted, 1ss7.
Slavery is nomin.lv abolished In the
Ottoman empire, hut j. ia said-I know
not how truly-tbst 10000 are annually
bought, the larger portion women who
become inmates of Turkish harems; and
this miDglipg with the fairest race has
subdued the original uglIness of the
Tartar.
There are boundless possibilities in
their exchange OF circumstances E,ch
one NAV become an oda'isQue, the mother
of princes, even a Sultsna. For ~ the
strange code Of the Moslem, the Sultan
must marry q slave, one who has been
| bought snd sold, and the lowest on whom
ne casts passing look has hope of such
high destiny.
The Turk can have four lawful wives
| 'hough few have more than one. We
copy father Jacob, thew plead, and if you
mint at forbidden Plumbers, we are like
Solom n the wise, aud David bis father
No Oriental woman makes secret her
win to marry any II re- than the widow
OF NJ nab 10 the barley fields among the
cleaners at Bethlehem. and her prayer is
vet the PRAYER of Rachael, give me
children else die.
With this underfl,w of feeling, Caucas-
i'm women willingly leave their wretched
| homes, and when ships touch at the coast
come to the travellers and imp ore thrm
70 carry them away IS servants. They
have seen their brothers-hapdsome and
fearless as eopsrds-marched off to
service in foreign armies. Their costume
OF Persian embrOideries belted with siloco
! girdies, their sharp scmetars enamelt
with gold, dsZZle he sight. The women
lorg to follow and tempt fate 10 the city
which they have heard lies like bird
o f at on the waters OF the Golden Horn
Those yourg girls have little tender
ness to remember. In one garmeot they
have herded sheep and Carried water
irs on bruised shoulders in the free
-un heat of summer; and rolled In skins,
IN the mud Il 'or of s. smoky den, they
nave shvered in biting winds blowing
across glaciers which never melt.
| They do not sigh for freedom, they
have bad freedom in their own hills; they
want TO thrust their bare feet into velvet
slippers spsngled gold, and lul! on soft
divans IN rooms lined with bright mar
! bles.
The trade is carried On by Jews and is a
| necessary part Of polygamy. The slaves
enter better conditions than they leave,
sre usually kindly treated aud by law are
| free st the end OF seven years. The
whole system is ratrisrchsl and was an
Gent before the coming OF the Father of
| the Faithful.
| Contracts for marriage are oftenest
made by the mother of the bride, who
sometimes does not see her fisnce till she
! is r0bed for the ceremony; and old maids
are unknown il the empire were maids
are manageable at sixteen or younger.
Wedding stvities son etimes last a
whole week. The men In their rooms
smoke solemnly and sip coff4P; "laugh-
ter" says their provcrb, sis for women
and children' And merrily laughter
rings through the screened doors before
| he apartments Of the women. Their
gaiety CyeIf jws in iests and playful
tricks, trivial and meaningless to US, but
delightful to them. Charms are practiced,
| fortunes foretcid snd dreams, in which
they have childlike fcith, are related.
Sometimes marriage is delayed on &C
count of q bad omen or unlucky dream.
The presents of the wealthy are jewels,
furs and embrOideries, shawls from the
goats f Thibet, S ks OF Iudisn dyes,
! rich IS coronation robes, scarfs OF Mecca
woven Of pure white silk shot with sill
YER. The larger garments are strung on
cords stretched again-t the walls of the
bridal chamber. A wreath Of artificial
| d overs borders the ceiling and the
draperies below make vari-colored
| lining, CAV as the shawl lined tent of
Haroun- al r .schid. ALI is arranged with
the unerrine eye for color which distin.
guishes the o rental, aud the work goes
on with intervals Of feastiDg, eating
sugar plums. and wild fantastic music, at
once harsh and sorroWful.
The bride is radiant in white or rose
pink wrought with gold; her nails and
fnger tips are dyed with henna, and an
amulet OF cornelisn, Inscribed with q
verse from the X iran, Is hung round her
Deck-a defense against the evil eye.
When the hour comes for the betrothed
strangers to see each other face to face,
for the hrst time, her best friend kisses
the bride between the eyebrows, removed
her veil aud spreads it on the floor. The
bridegroom kneels upon it and off rs the
touching prayer appointed by Lord M y
manned, regarded as the most acceptab ole
that can be addressed to the Diety on
this occasion.
IN THE HAREM.
The word barem means the holy or
sanctifed, and in general sense is given
to any spot peculiarly hsllowed. 1 was
long while learning thst the n.me applies
to the spacious enclosed court about
mosques; not barred prison but con-
secrated ground, revered as a sanctuary.
However blank snd bare the remainder
OF the house may be-and ually is-the
forbidden rooms are we'll furnished &C
cording to Moslem fancy, IN which is
copied, far as possible, their ideal para
disc; an adorable palace with thousand
windows and before every window q
sparkling fountain.
Free light, abundant spsce, shady gar
dens where the nightingale sings among
the roses, and rushing waters croi the
air. These are the luxuries which fore.
shadow the golden pleasure fields kept
for the Faithful by the Hours.
The women, old and young, assemble
in the sacred rooms, with their children
and attendants, and they are the center
Of the world to the home keeping Turk,
who cares nothing for travel and never
emigretes. His spare time and money |
are spent there, and the wife is, In the |
tender Arabian phrase, the keeper Of her
usbspd's soul.
Turkish houses are much alike. The |
o. ira "a